1926 A transpolar flight. The Norge flight with Roald Amundsen, Lincoln Ellsworth and Umberto Nobile flew from Ny Alesund on Svalbard to Teller in Alaska. In doing so they flew over the North Pole.

There was early scepticism about polar aviation: Nansen in Fram and Andrée in a balloon.

This is such a fascinating subject with many tales to be told from Andrée’s tragic pioneering balloon voyage to use of airships for deliveries in remote Arctic communities. On the expedition front there are the early C19th expeditions whose success was often limited by the current technology. As technology developed Arctic aeronautics began to be applied to a wide range of civilian, commercial and strategic areas. Climate, remote and harsh terrain, low population density, communications all were factors that aviators

Bibliography and recommended reading

In the air towards the North Pole Virgohamna Hein B Bjerk and Leif Jonny Johannessen

Bernt Balchen Polar Aviator Carroll V. Glimnes

With Seaplane and Sledge in the Arctic George Binney

Arctic Airmen The RAF in Spitsbergen and North Russia, 1942 Ernest Schofield and Roy Conyers Nesbit

Challenge to the Poles John Grierson

Andree’s Balloon Expedition in Search of the North Pole Henri Lachambre and Alexis Macburon

A remarkable bit of film footage from the 1930s: https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-spitzbergen-oxford-university-arctic-expedition-1924-1924-online